The reigning NBA champions are going aggressive this offseason to keep their title. The New York Knicks just lost their frontcourt depth with Mitchell Robinson. So they are utilizing aggressive restricted free agency tactics to reinforce it. New York has zeroed in on the Dallas Mavericks’ emerging young center in an attempt to pry him away from a rebuilding roster around Cooper Flagg.

According to an official report by ESPN’s Shams Charania,  Moussa Cisse has agreed to a two-year contract offer sheet with the New York Knicks. Cisse is a restricted free agent in Dallas.

Following the agreement, the Dallas Mavericks now have a strict 48-hour window to either match the offer sheet entirely and keep him with Cooper Flagg or allow the athletic big man to officially walk to Manhattan.

Mavericks have two days to keep Cooper Flagg’s teammate

The Knicks’ unexpected pursuit of Cisse serves as a direct countermeasure to their ongoing search for a reliable backup center after missing out on other summer trade targets. While New York successfully acquired veteran big man Andre Drummond earlier in the free agency period, they need another backup to Karl-Anthony Towns with youth and rim protections skills.

The Knicks’ contract offer sheet represents a low-risk gamble on a player who didn’t have that much demand on the market due to severe hard-cap restraints. As noted by veteran insider Marc Stein, the Knicks offered a two-year minimum deal, which is essentially as far as the newly crowned champs can go under their current second-apron limitations.

The decision lands heavily on the Dallas Mavericks franchise, which finds itself at a unique organizational crossroads after a turbulent season. In the offseason, as Stein confirmed, the teams can stretch their roster to 21 players before trimming it down to the mandatory 15 in time for the season-opener. They have the ability to match New York’s relatively low offer without making any roster moves.

The Mavericks have pivoted toward developing their young core directly around rookie sensation and top draft selection Cooper Flagg, while retaining veterans including Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.

Prior to earning meaningful minutes next to Flagg, Cisse split his rookie campaign on a two-way contract, making 16 G-League appearances with the Texas Legends, where he averaged an impressive 14.7 points and 13.1 rebounds per contest.

When elevated to the main roster, the 23-year-old center produced solid numbers in limited minutes. In 38 appearances for Dallas, he averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in just 13.9 minutes per game.

His strongest outing was put on full display during a regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls, where he recorded a 17-point, 20-rebound performance.

With the 48-hour clock rapidly winding down, the Mavericks’ front office faces a dilemma and a crowded frontcourt. Retaining Cisse preserves a young defensive weapon tailored to Flagg’s developmental timeline without forcing a dramatic lineup change.

But if the Mavericks choose to pass, the Knicks will secure an athletic, developmental big for their upcoming title defense.